The payout buffer
Why your balance has to clear a threshold before withdrawing.
Updated August 23, 2026
Part of your balance is a floor that withdrawals cannot touch. It is called the buffer, and it exists so a payout never leaves you a tick away from failing.
The buffer
Your balance must reach this level before any payout is possible, and payouts can never take you back below it:
| $25K | $50K | $100K | $150K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic and Horizon | $26,100 | $52,100 | $103,100 | $154,600 |
| Zenith | $26,100 | $52,100 | $103,600 | $155,100 |
The formula is your starting balance plus your maximum drawdown plus $100. Zenith differs at the two largest sizes only because its drawdown is wider there.
When your first payout actually becomes possible
Because the minimum request is $500 and a payout cannot dip into the buffer, you need the buffer plus $500 before a first withdrawal is available:
| $25K | $50K | $100K | $150K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic and Horizon | $26,600 | $52,600 | $103,600 | $155,100 |
| Zenith | $26,600 | $52,600 | $104,100 | $155,600 |
This is the figure shown as payout profit target on our pricing page. On a $50K Classic account it means reaching $52,600.
Working out what you can withdraw
Take your balance and subtract the buffer, not the payout profit target.
On a $50K Classic account with $53,500 in it, the buffer is $52,100, so $1,400 is available. Your payout cap may reduce that further, and whatever you take has to be at least $500.
Traders usually say how much they are up rather than what the balance is. The two are the same figure counted from different ends: profit is measured from your starting balance, so up $5,200 on a $100K Classic account is a balance of $105,200. The buffer there is $103,100, which puts $2,100 above the floor, and the first payout cap of $2,000 on a $100K account holds the request to $2,000. The remaining $100 stays in the account, and because a request has to be at least $500, it goes out with what you make next rather than on its own.
Why it exists
By the time you have built the buffer, your trailing drawdown has locked at your starting balance. The buffer is what makes that lock permanent instead of something you can withdraw yourself back out of.
If your balance falls below it
Nothing happens to the account and you keep trading as normal. You are simply not eligible for a payout until the balance climbs back above.
Trading pauses while a request is open
Once you submit a payout request, trading on that account is paused until it is processed. You cannot place trades, and you cannot accidentally fall back under the buffer while you wait.
Processing takes up to two business days, and on occasion it may take longer.